


A Quiet Afternoon

by Morpheus626



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-06
Updated: 2014-04-06
Packaged: 2018-01-18 08:24:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1421356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morpheus626/pseuds/Morpheus626
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a bit of fluff with the Mirkwood family! And that's everyone in the family--Mum, Dad, Legolas, and Tauriel tagging along as the daughter they'd never had. Legolas gets to try his hand at combat on horse-back--sort of, and everyone is there to see it happen (or end up as possible targets, as Thranduil fears.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Quiet Afternoon

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first in what I intend to be at least ten fics (if not more) looking into a universe where the Queen of Mirkwood is well and alive and keeping everyone in line. Honestly, I'm finding that I enjoy writing happier fics with the Mirkwood family even more than I do angst, though I can't speak for whether or not my happy works are as good as my sad ones! In any case, I hope anyone and everyone who reads enjoys this! 
> 
> As always, the characters don't belong to me (except for the Queen, and the head canons I've come up with for her) but to Tolkien and Peter Jackson and Co. I'm only borrowing them for a bit of fun! 
> 
> If you'd like to talk elves or Middle earth or whatever, you can comment here or reach me at my tumblr: www.itsalwaysprettiestafterthefall.tumblr.com

“He’s going to hurt himself.” Thranduil murmured to Lessil. They stood outside the gates of the palace, in a small clearing where a target had been set up. Their son Legolas rode atop a black steed, in short circles in the area, his bow grasped in one slightly shaking hand. He had less experience fighting on horseback than Lessil would have liked, and so she had demanded that he start training as soon as possible, which by her standards meant that afternoon. 

And so there they stood, waiting to see how Legolas would manage, once he got the courage to take a shot at the target. Thranduil couldn’t help but worry for him, even though there was certainly no reason to. His son was nearly of-age and was quite experienced in most other combat, but the use of steeds simply hadn’t been great enough to merit such training. Of course he had intended that Legolas would be trained in such combat, should the need seem to present itself but part of him disliked the idea purely because it meant his son would have more ability to leave the kingdom if he so wished. That in and of itself was not a bad thing, but Thranduil couldn’t help but worry. If such worry consumed Lessil, on the other hand, then she did not make it plain. She seemed to have every belief that her son would not fail to protect himself, no matter what the circumstances. 

“Will you shoot already Legolas? I’ve got watch to get back to.” Tauriel shouted from the branches of a nearby tree. Lessil had invited the girl along in the hopes that Legolas would feel a bit more confident with a friend about, but Thranduil guessed she might have gone about it the wrong way. If Tauriel was on horseback as well, given the chance to prove her own skill, then Legolas’ competitive nature would have gotten the better of him by now, and the whole lesson would be completed already. Instead, Tauriel had climbed into the tree to try and fulfill her watch duties as well as watch her prince and friend ponce about in the clearing. 

For his part, Legolas seemed as finished with the whole exercise as much as Thranduil was. “I’ll shoot when I wish to and no sooner. If you cannot wait to see me hit the target perfectly, then go back to your watch.” Legolas urged the steed a bit faster, and for a moment Thranduil thought he might actually try for it. And he very well might have, if a spider hadn’t scuttled into the clearing. 

The creature was clearly lost and baffled in the sun straining through the tree tops. It scuttled a bit back and forth, and seemed not to know what to do with itself. Lessil giggled and gave Thranduil’s arm a light punch when she noticed his glowering at the spider. 

“Oh stop that. It’s a baby if nothing else, so small that it is, and it clearly doesn’t have a clue as to where it is. Probably lost its family somewhere along the way, maybe fell in the stream.” Lessil said, with a small smile on her face. 

“That doesn’t mean I want it anywhere near the palace. Tauriel, you need the bow practice, could you—“ Thranduil stuttered mid-sentence as Legolas thundered past on his steed, and shot the spider clean through. 

Tauriel snickered. “My apologies, your highness, but I don’t believe I’m needed for this.” 

Legolas had led the horse back to them and jumped down grinning from ear to ear. “Ada, did you see? I know it wasn’t moving or anything but if I could do that I’m sure I could do it out in the forest during a raid. Can I go out with you, the next time you go hunting, please?” 

His son had turned back into the elfling that had followed him from one meeting to another, begging to be allowed in on the proceedings. Thranduil found tears prickling at the corner of his eyes, at the realization that Legolas no longer needed to follow as he once had—with a bit more practice on horseback, he could most likely start to lead the hunting parties. 

“Of course you can. Though, your mother will want to come with, to keep an eye on—ow!” Thranduil rubbed at the back of his head, where Lessil had (somewhat) playfully smacked him. 

She was smiling just as wide as Legolas was. “We’ll all go on the next raid. After that you’ll be just fine on your own, with a bit more practice. Just make sure not to run the spiders too ragged though—they’ll just tire and lie down and let you kill them then, and there’s no fun in that.” 

Legolas wrapped his arms around her, and then surprised Thranduil by doing the same to him. Tauriel had leapt down from the tree to meet Legolas as they led the horse back to the stables hidden away nearby, and Thranduil watched them go, a bit afraid to move and let things change as he knew they would. 

“He’ll be just fine. He’s as strong and skilled as we could have ever hoped for. Don’t worry yourself so.” Lessil slipped her arm through his, and started to lead them back towards the palace gates. 

Thranduil leaned against her a bit as they walked. “I’m not worrying. Whatever would make you think that?” 

She smirked. “You were grinding your teeth, just like you used to do around your father—I don’t need any more sign than that to know that your thoughts have become a storm.” 

“They are hardly a storm. A single rain cloud, if that.” He could smell her perfume that she only ever wore on the days she knew she’d not be out in the forest, helping the guards or leading a hunt. He drank in the scent of her and the knowledge that they could spend the rest of the day together relatively uninterrupted if they wished. That didn’t happen nearly enough for his liking. 

Lessil sighed happily. “Well. Forgive me my mistake then, my lord. Shall we head back inside and listen to our son tell everyone he can find what he’s done?” 

“There’s that, or the library, which will be much quieter and free of children and guards.” Thranduil let her through the gates first, as the guards wordlessly opened them. Behind them a giggling Tauriel and Legolas followed, their boots covered in mud and muck. 

Lessil looked at the two behind her, and smiled. “You’re right. Tauriel can keep him in line, or stop him from driving the staff to insanity at least. A bit of quiet would be nice.” 

Thranduil let Tauriel and Legolas pass by him as they prattled on about something or other, excited and smiling. “Or she’ll be a wonderful assistant in making everyone lose their minds, but either will do I suppose.” 

“You wouldn’t have it any other way. They’re happy and healthy, and so are the rest of our people. We can’t ask for too much more, can we?” Lessil leaned up and pressed a kiss to his face (the side that had been burned, as she always did, and as he always noticed. It was a small kindness from her that he loved nearly more than anything else.) 

She didn't give him a chance to respond.“No we cannot. Now, the library and a bottle of wine calls to us my dear. That is, if the guards in the cellar have not drunk it all already.” She led the way down their halls, towards the library, her boots trailing as much mud across the floor as her son’s had. 

Thranduil snorted. “As if they would dare to drink on duty. I would have their heads for that.” 

Lessil only rolled her eyes as they walked into the library, to settle in for a hopefully quiet evening.


End file.
